Ex-Pak Army officer served as Lakhvi's adviser: Report

A former Pakistani Army officer, allegedly involved in abduction of the Karachi-based filmmaker uncle of Bollywood actress Juhi Chawla, had joined LeT after leaving military and served as an adviser to the Mumbai attack mastermind Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, a media report said on Tuesday.

A former Pakistani Army officer, allegedly involved in abduction of the Karachi-based filmmaker uncle of Bollywood actress Juhi Chawla, had joined LeT after leaving military and served as an adviser to the Mumbai attack mastermind Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, a media report said on Tuesday.

During the interrogation of Major (Retd) Haroon Rasheed alias Abu Khattab, who was arrested some time ago for alleged links to terror groups, investigators learnt that he was the leader of the gang that kidnapped Chawla's uncle Satish Anand six months ago, 'Dawn' newspaper reported.

Anand was freed last week after payment of Rs 16 million as ransom. Rasheed, 43, told interrogators that he and his brother Khurram, who was a Captain in the army's elite Special Service Group, met Lashkar-e Toiba chief Hafiz Mohammad Saeed and Lakhvi in 2000 when both of them were still serving the military, it said.

Rasheed sought premature retirement in 2001 while Khurram quit army in 2003 and both of them joined the LeT. Rasheed became an adviser to Lakhvi and also served as a trainer and made improvised mortars for the LeT. He told interrogators he left the LeT after differences with Lakhvi.

In December 2006, Rasheed visited Wana in South Waziristan tribal agency where he met Taliban commander Mullah Nazir. He also travelled to Miranshah in North Waziristan to meet jehadi commander Ilyas Kashmiri.